Where to Stay and Dine in Charlevoix

This is the last article in a three-part series of travel through the Charlevoix region of Québec. The first article can be found here and the second one at this link.

Just an hour north of Québec City lies Charlevoix, a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. This unique agriculturally rich area features what is known as the Flavour Trail. A destination in and of itself, we visited the region between our time in Québec City and Montreal. To fully experience Charlevoix, plan to stay several days or a week.

Where to Stay

Accommodations in Charlevoix offer a range of mostly smaller hotels, inns, and intimate B & Bs. Properties in La Malbaie offer some of the best scenery with picturesque views of the St. Lawrence River, with the largest and most impressive being the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu.

The Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu – La Malbaie

The Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu

The Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu, just south of Pointe-au-Pic, is a luxury property perched high above the St. Lawrence River. Located on Le Train Léger de Charlevoix train line, it boasts upscale amenities and a popular casino. With several dining options, golf, and the Spa du Manior, this resort is a destination property, but there is so much to see just outside the entrance.

We had lunch with Chef Patrick Turcot, the hotel’s award-winning executive chef, at the Chef’s Table. A long-time proponent of supporting the local foods movement in Québec, we chatted with him to learn more about the artisans and farmers in Charlevoix, while tasting several regional specialties. We also wandered the property to enjoy the stunning views from the elevated vantage point.

Lobby at the hotel

The Chef’s Table

A sampling of regional products at The chef’s Table

Hotel Le Germain Charlevoix – Baie-Saint-Paul

The central location of the charming town of Baie-Saint-Paul is ideal for exploring the Flavour Trail and there are a number of accommodations to choose from in town. There are also many wonderful restaurants, many of which are included along the Flavour Trail. You will know which ones they are by the little orange chef’s hat displayed outside the restaurant.

This modern luxury property, located in Baie Saint-Paul and on Le Train Léger de Charlevoix rail line, is one of the most unusual hotels we have experienced. Built on a working farm with fields and animals surrounding the property, La Ferme (The Farm) lived up to its name. Its unique design was awarded the Top Design in the World at the 2013 Retail & Leisure Interior Awards.

The hotel’s garden

They put me to work with the herb garden

Farm Tools

This cow is allowed indoors

The hotel’s eclectic rooms, housed in several buildings on the property, feature locally produced furnishings and linens and are contemporary in design. There are a number of different room types, depending on your needs. Popular during ski season are the shared rooms with single beds. For our visit, we were in a large superior room with a king bed and a beautifully appointed bath with soaking tub overlooking the farm and the St. Lawrence River.

The rooms are sleek and modern and appointed with local furnishings and linens

The bath area opens into the bedroom and is fitted with contemporary bath fixtures

Soaking tub overlooking the garden with views of the St. Lawrence River in the distance

* Each room style is unique in decor

The hotel’s Spa du Verger, with its windows overlooking the farm, offers a unique thermal spa experience with hot and cold outdoor pools, a Nordic shower, a snow fountain, Finnish sauna, and a eucalyptus steam bath.

About the Author

Gwen Pratesi

Gwen Pratesi is a James Beard Foundation Award Finalist in Journalism and an award-winning travel writer. She is the author and owner of PratesiLiving.com with her husband, coauthor of Southern Heat, and co-owner of On the Road Culinary Adventures, a culinary travel business. She is a bimonthly travel contributor to U.S. News & World Report, a travel expert for SheKnows.com, and freelances for other publications. Her work has also been featured on MSN, Yahoo!, Business Insider, and in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Magazine.
She has also been a speaker at several food and writing conferences in the Southeast. Gwen chronicles her love of international travel and experience as a professional home cook on PratesiLiving.com, where she shares the stories of some of the world's most sought after destinations, highly regarded chefs, restaurateurs, farmers, wine and spirits producers, and culinary artisans.
She and her husband reside in Atlanta, Georgia.